soaphouse's Blog
soaphouse's June 2007 Entries
Last Post 8 days, 16 hours Ago
Jun 30, 2007 | 6:18 PM PST
Tags: mulch , double knockout , red maple , fall , okra , weekend , datura
-I got all the mulch moved!!! It looks FABULOUS. I still need another load for the right side of the house and crepe myrtle alley.
-Laid out a new bed for the back yard, I will berm it up with the free city compost and plant a red maple as the center. (All in effort of operation lawn minimization.
-Okra is growing :)
-Broccoli is appearing :)
-Squash coming along :)
-Turks cap Lily Blooming :)
-Purple Datura Bloomed!
-T
he inlaws are in town and for my upcoming birthday they gave me a gift certficate to one of my favorite garden centers in Atlanta! Can't wait to spend it in the fall!
-Went to the nursery yesterday and when the sales guy asked me if I needed help, I told him I was looking for half dead plants for cheap....he hooked me up! 3 gallon double knock out rose for $10, 1 gallon Pink Dianthus for $2 and a guaera (spelling?) for $2. Woo HOOOO. I want 7 double knockouts for the front, so I am going to attempt to propogate from the one I got.
-Tomorrow morning is my watering time, so I will give everything a much needed good drink.
-This week my big plan in the garden is to clear out behind my back fence where there is a creek...it is SO overgrown with privet, wild grapes, and god only knows what else. I think I may try to make a wreath or something out of the grape vines that i pull. I'm going to post before and after picts of this one....
-All in all a great gardening weekend
Happy Gardening to all and to all a good night :)
Jun 27, 2007 | 5:32 PM PST
Tags: mulch , lawn , broccoli , okra
So I just had a load of "free mulch" delivered from the city yesterday. This is all part of my OPERATION LAWN MINIMIZATION. I have spent yesterday and today moving the mulch around to create path like areas in my garden where there used to be lawn. Quite a job but SO worth it! AND, its free!!! I should be all done with moving the pile by tomorrow night, then I will call for the next batch...think I will need more. There is nothing like the look of a freshly mulched garden! I also got the side bed that we recently topdressed with compost covered in pinestraw and it looks SO GOOD! Picts to come soon :)
On another note...I am super excited because I am starting to get broccoli and my okra plant is blooming, YEAH!
Jun 25, 2007 | 1:59 PM PST
Tags: front yard , red bud , foliage , texture
Finally got around to posting Picts of our front yard. I have been spending most of my time out there this season. I finally am getting it to where I feel like its manageable chaos. I focused mostly this spring on adding foliage interest through texture. My next job for fall is to add a bunch of perinnials for non stop color. I am also going to attempt a "real lawn" this fall. (more on that in another entry) When we bought this house four years ago all we had was the redbud, the dogwood and a bunch of boxed off holly bushes....we have been working hard to make the garden. Enjoy the Picts! heres a preview, but check out all of the shots in my album section.
Jun 25, 2007 | 1:26 PM PST
Tags: mums , rain , weeding , creek , path
OH. MY. GOSH!!!!
Its Raining! We haven't had rain in FOREVER!!!!!
At first I was kinda annoyed because I was in the middle of weeding, but after a nano second, I thanked the heavens and moved inside for the virtual gardening world.
I've been working on those pesky little summer weeds in the back....my next BIG project is to clear the overgrowth behind our back fence. There is a creek back there somewhere and god only know what else...
Already
starting to think about my garden in the fall too. THink I might plant some brightly colored mums along the back path. Also want to plant a bunch of bulbs. Fun, Fun!
Jun 24, 2007 | 3:22 PM PST
Tags: daughter , blackberries , children
One of my favorite parts of gardening is teaching my 20 month old daughter to enjoy the garden. Her new favorite pastime is picking the blackberries (backbees). Every morning she requests that we go "side" to pick the "backbees". I can't even describe the joy of watching her enjoy my gardening efforts. Her Nana gave us her very own set of garden tools and sometimes she even "helps" me dig and rake.
p>
I can only hope that she too catches the gardening bug as she grows up! Hopefully my obsession doesn't make her hate it :)
She has also recently decided that she love picking the sugar snap peas out of the shell. the only hard part is figuring out how to tell her when she ate them all and there are no more :)
the wonder of a child.....
Jun 23, 2007 | 2:01 PM PST
Tags: harry lauder's , compost , annuals , grass , bench , juniper , laurapedilum
I LOVE compost. I know all of us gardeners love that black gold. I am so lucky that my city offers it free. Especially since what I make on my own in my backyard isn't nearly enough for the whole garden. My husband is so kind to go get truckloads of it for me. Thats what we spent a good part of the afternoon doing. I had just finished weeding out all of the running Bermuda grass (which was an ENORMOUS and seemingly neverending project), so I wanted to topdress this bed with the compost because I have found that it is a great deterrent for the grass coming back. And, the plants love it. The funny thing is that the stuff the city has for free smells really bad...pretty much like poop. So, you can imagine what my non gardening neighbors think of me. It takes about a week for the smell to gass off and once that happens I will mulch with pinestraw. This is the bed to the left of our driveway:
THis bed is one of the works in progress. i am trying to hide the view of the neighbors yard. I have planted two Laurapedalums and a Juniper around the bench. I know with a little time and patience they will do the trick.:
I was also given a Datura seedling one year and it does a great job of reseeding and they just pop up all over the bed. I divided some of my grasses this year to put near the front to provide year round interest and to take the place of the annual bed. That is too high maintenance and i am not willing to spend the money to do the mass planting it takes to make a good show so it just ends up looking pathetic LOL
And of course I LOVE my Harry Lauder's. He was the very first thing we planted here and he has done great:
Can you tell how hot it is by the picts.....glaring sun, dry soil...It was 96 today and we haven't had a good rain in months. We are in a drought and I am only supposed to water Tues, Thurs, Sunday from midnight - 10....ARGH!
But, I am all for helping and conserving our resources, so I try not to cheat too much.
Can't wait to water tomorrow :)
Jun 21, 2007 | 3:48 PM PST
Tags: pictures , arbor , backyard , artemesia
Woo Hoo! Hubby came home so while he played with the bambino I got some picts taken. Only of the backyard...will wait to take picts of the front yard when cars aren't in the driveway...looks so much prettier that way. Anyway, the backyard has been a major work in progress. We have been in this house for 4 years. We basically started with nothing but a n island of trees surrounded in monkey grass. So, little by little I have been adding things as I get inspiration and $. My Everest is trying to hide the chain link. UGH! My favorite part this year is how the artemesia has taken off. I love the blue foliage next to the grass and the vibernum. Also loving my new veggie beds and can't wait to add more. The arbor pictured was built by my husband while we were engaged and we were married under it in my parent's backyard. I plan to order some roses to grow on it. Always dreaming and thinking of new projects. Will take picts of my front yard soon. Enjoy
Jun 21, 2007 | 1:54 PM PST
Tags: eight ball , aphids , weeding , pruning
THanks for the warm welcome! I haven't posted any picts yet...every time I get ready to go out and take picts, i end up weeding or trimming, or digging or etc.... I spent the greater part of this afternoon cutting back brush that had come in from my neighbors yard in the back....oi vey!
And, noticed that all of my carrots have aphids :( so, I had to pull all of them out. But, on the brighter side, my eight ball zuchinnis are starting to produce, yeah!
Picts to come soon, I promise
Jun 3, 2007 | 4:50 PM PST
Tags: new , encouragement
Well, I am new to this site, stumbled on it while doing a google search on ideas to cover a chain link fence. Gardening is by far my favorite pasttime and my husband would say its more of an obsession! No one else in my neighborhood is that into gardening, they are more into the "landscape" thing. So, i am hungry for some gardening friends and discussion (not to mention encouragement) Sometimes I wonder if things only look good to me because I have worked so hard on them and passers by might be wondering what i am thinking. LOL :) Anyway...looking forward to this new virtual community and will be posting picts soon!
